dslreports logo

Review by DonG4 See Profile

  • Location: Calhan, El Paso, CO, USA
  • Cost: $90 per month (24 month contract)
Easy setup
Slow speeds
Not worth $90 a month!
Pre Sales Information:
Install process:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

Verizon Wireless UM150 USB modem. The basic service is $59.99 per month, but other charges, taxes, etc. bring the cost for service to between $85 and $90 per month with a two-year contract.

The sales person on the phone told me I should get 800 kbps to 1.4 mbps download speeds. I was really looking forward to this as my present FairPoint DSL service is terrible here, about 50 miles east of Colorado Springs, Colorado.

However, what I actually GET with the Verizon Wireless modem is 200 kbps to 540 kbps. The lower speeds being east coast, and the higher speeds being west coast. Very disappointing.

Sent an e-mail to the sales person and never got a reply. Sent an e-mail to tech support and it took them two days to reply. None of their suggestions helped. So, it looks like I'll be taking them up on their 30-day return policy.

member for 18.1 years, 140 visits, last login: 12.8 years ago
lodged 15.9 years ago


Wayne B
@myvzw.com

Wayne B

Anon

UM 150

I just upgraded to the UM 150 from my original Verizon card and am quite pleased. I live about 20 miles from Portland, Oregon.

I have read about booster antennas which maybe you should look into. the UM 150 has a jack for one. »www.evdoinfo.com
Earl_Wallace
join:2004-04-11
Peyton, CO

Earl_Wallace

Member

Verizon BroadbandAccess in the Peyton area

After Sprint Broadband Direct was closed down, I had to find another wireless ISP. Can't get Cable, DSL, ISDN, or the local wireless providers at my location. But I have a Verizon Cell phone and it's works well, so I decided to go with Verizon BroadbandAccess. My setup includes the Cradlepoint MBR-1000 router, UTstarcom/Pantech UM150 USB Modem, Cyfre CA-819 Amplifier (and Truck Antenna). The Antenna points to the Verizon Tower in Calhan (11.5 miles away). It's about 80ms round-trip to that Tower.

I just did a www.speedtest.net and the download speed is 2,032 Kbps, and the upload is 344 Kbps. Overall, this connection gets the job done, but it doesn't "feel" as fast as the speed tests indicate. It's one of the most expensive ways to get high-speed internet, but when dial-up modems are your only other choice, it's a no-brainer.

I still haven't see a bill that shows what this really will cost since I just signed up a little while ago, but it appears to be $59.99 a month and my guess on the taxes, fees, etc. are they add another $5-10. Will know in another month I hope. They sure love their fees...

Review by MmmMan See Profile

  • Location: Brooklyn, Kings, NY, USA
  • Cost: $89 per month (24 month contract)
  • Install: about 106 days
can use my laptop anywhere now, for the $ should have gotten their card
slower then i though, had to rewrite the cdma1x driver for vista by hand
once i decided to really work on hooking up it took an hour of work
Pre Sales Information:
Install process:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

I use a HTC VX-6700 Mobile 5 ppc phone, which i still like but wish i had more installed flash and a bigger flash card limit (only 1 gig) yeah i can buy the next model but $600 doesn't grow on trees. video is great, 1.3 meg camera interlaced for 2 meg is good.

I first had a family plan and only added the data plan 10 days ago so the real price is $30 for unlimited data on top of the family phone charges.

The tech support really did not know how to tether the phone properly to the PC by USB. The driver did not work for vista and the new driver they gave me said the cdma1x driver could not be found. I had downloaded CDMA1x_USB_Modem.INF from »pdaphonehome.com/forums/ ··· odem.zip renamed the INF file to CDMA1X and then opened the INF in notepad searched CDMA and changed it to CDMA1X. then no problem updating the driver. There is more info at »pdaphonehome.com/forums/ ··· sta.html where i got the inf file i updated. It comes with both the soft modem and treo as modem connections.

member for 17.1 years, 133 visits, last login: 342 days ago
updated 15.9 years ago


Review by GmanX See Profile

  • Location: Louisa, Louisa, VA, USA
  • Cost: $59 per month (24 month contract)
  • Install: about 1 days
Better than Dailup
Price for speed
Better than nothing
Pre Sales Information:
Install process:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

Out in the country, you take what you can get. After trying to get anything other than dial up, This is all I could get. Speed is mediocre. Its easy to install. Too bad you have to install Verizon access Manager application. But you can take it anywhere in the Verzion network. If I had another option I would definitely pursue it.

member for 20.1 years, 82 visits, last login: 13.2 years ago
updated 16.1 years ago


Guido
@gm.com

Guido

Anon

What's your speed/thouput?

I live in "Egypt" also, no other options, so what's your speed? Thanks...






Review by Brianguy See Profile

  • Location: Laguna Hills, Orange, CA, USA
  • Cost: $60 per month (24 month contract)
  • Install: about 3 days
Great for surfing the net
Horrible for anything but web surfing
It's better than most other services
Pre Sales Information:
Install process:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

I got the v740 card for .01 at amazon with 2yr contract. I get bad reception at my work but it still works fine for general web surfing. With full reception, you can watch streaming videos just fine. I noticed during peak hours the speeds decrease somewhat. I tried playing online games but it's a little laggy and i disconnect after a while.

member for 20.6 years, 79 visits, last login: 14.8 years ago
lodged 16.1 years ago







Review by jcoltz See Profile

  • Location: Boyers, Butler, PA, USA
  • Cost: $60 per month (24 month contract)
  • Install: about 3 days
For us rural users it can deliver true broadband.
High Cost, 5 gig limit
Beats dial up and satellite. Would rather have dsl or cable
Pre Sales Information:
Install process:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

Had Direcway for two years. Contemplated Wildblue. Been on dial up for the last year or so. Speed averages about 600 down 300 up for my location and signal strength. Latency is not noticeable. Speed tends to go up and down even during longer downloads and is directly related to the signal strength I receive.

Haven't had a need to contact tech support.

member for 20.4 years, 269 visits, last login: 15.6 years ago
lodged 16.1 years ago







Review by Aerv0 See Profile

  • Location: Mira Loma, Riverside, CA, USA
  • Cost: $59 per month (24 month contract)
  • Install: about 1 days
Mobile connectivity anywhere you can get a signal
No signal in the places I use it most (Home/work)
If you can get DSL/Cable/Fios, get it and forget this.
Pre Sales Information:
Install process:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

I've searched every option for the area I live in, and this is all I can get. No DSL/Cable, phone lines are horrible in the area, so I've been using this for about a year and a half now. I MUST use an antenna to even get enough signal to connect, and it's still pretty horrible. (-91 dBm) Also, pay attention to the fine print, the "unlimited" is only 5GB per month.

Also, the tech support is horrible, they work through your computer first and won't believe it is an error on their side even though VZAccess Manager says it is.

If you live in an area that has good cell service, it is incredibly fast with Rev-A, I've gotten up to 8mbps download, but when it's bad it's very bad.

member for 16.1 years, 1 visits, last login: 12.3 years ago
lodged 16.1 years ago


Review by cmattax See Profile

  • Location: Manakin Sabot, Goochland, VA, USA
  • Cost: $59 per month (24 month contract)
  • Install: about 1 days
Ease of setup. When it works, it works well.
Regardless of signal strength, transmission speeds vary widely from minute to minute.
Stick with dial-up, if that is your only choice.
Pre Sales Information:
Install process:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

USB720 modem. We are two miles from Verizon tower and only use it from our home. Horrible customer service, no base level of service agreement, poor transmission speeds even when signal strength is at maximum. Can be slower than dial-up one minute and as fast as DSL the next.

member for 16.2 years, 364 visits, last login: 3.9 years ago
updated 16.2 years ago







Review by customalarm See Profile

  • Location: Jamesville, Onondaga, NY, USA
  • Cost: $59 per month (24 month contract)
  • Install: about 2 days
it delivers 200k, some of thetime
it often delivers sub-dial up speeds, no dial-up up when no wireless
counting the days, about 270, and will test others before I choose
Pre Sales Information:
Install process:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

at time of purchase in Feb 2006, tried Cingular, if Verizon was bad, they were sulfuric

Curitel Modem, no capacity for antenna with gain. Verizon has zero service at our camp along lake ontario, phone included.

Waiting for tech support, post 30 minutes, only to have Verizon personnel agree to check issue off line and return call to land line. Waiting since July 3 (currently Aug 30), did you get the call?

Good News! Verizon in Syracuse gives away Ice, every February, only $4.50 per pound for loading. The Ice is Free.

member for 17.5 years, 11 visits, last login: 16.5 years ago
updated 16.5 years ago


Review by DPSkidude See Profile

  • Location: Cordova, Shelby, TN, USA
  • Cost: $60 per month (24 month contract)
It did work most of the time
Connection persistance and throughput was better on AT&T
Extensive Tests by an IT Consultant show there's a better service than Verizon
Pre Sales Information:
Install process:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

I did some extensive tests comparing the Verizon air card to the AT&T air
card. In my tests, AT&T was superior in several areas: Average download
speed, average upload speed, ping latency, and most notably, coverage. Test
were performed using side-by-side idential laptops on XP SP2, external
antennas, in several areas of Memphis, in both stationary and moving tests.
The Verizon card also experienced some hand-off issues on three occasions,
where coverage existed, but the moving hand-off failed and had to manually
re-connect.

My vote: AT&T's AC875 card, hands down.

member for 16.6 years, 1 visits, last login: 16.4 years ago
updated 16.6 years ago

CFDFF339
join:2004-06-05
Cumberland Center, ME

CFDFF339

Member

Location and coverage influences this quite a bit.

If you're on the east coast or midwest, Verizon's coverage is generally better. If you're on the west coast - and I'm told especially northwest -- Sprint has much better coverage.

I find it hard to believe that AT&T is the best overall choice nationwide, though of course in any given area it could be better.

I don't think any review or speed test of wireless should be accepted that doesn't include a "# of bars 1-5" question because EV-DO will vary in a huge way based on the connection quality.